Proposed bill would require public colleges to allow concealed gunsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A lawmaker is proposing a requirement that Arkansas' public colleges and universities allow faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus. Republican Rep. Charlie Collins of Fayetteville filed legislation Thursday to repeal a portion of state law that leaves the decision whether to allow concealed handguns on campus up to colleges and universities. Collins' proposal would remove the opt-out provision for public col...

Hutchinson says he'll unveil budget plan next weekLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will present his balanced budget proposal to lawmakers next week, he said Thursday as legislative leaders prepared to move quickly on the Republican's tax cut plan. Hutchinson said the budget proposal would outline how he planned to pay for reducing income taxes by 1 percent for those making between $21,000 and $75,000 a year. Hutchinson, who was sworn in on Tuesday, is touting the cut as a way t...

Bill to require doctors to give abortion pill in personLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Women in Arkansas seeking abortion-inducing medication would have to take it in the presence of a doctor and come back for a follow-up days later under a bill filed Thursday in the Arkansas Legislature. Supporters of the bill say they want to prevent any instances of abortion medication being administered through telemedicine, even though both sponsors noted that she wasn't aware of any Arkansas providers offering the proced...

Governor taps new director of information systems departmentLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Gov. Asa Hutchinson has named Mark Myers the new director of the Arkansas Department of Information Systems. Hutchinson, who was inaugurated this week, announced the appointment Thursday. Myers is currently the director of strategic Initiatives at the Secretary of State — a position he's held since 2011. Myers graduated fourth in his class from the U.S. Army Signal School in 2003 after being commissioned as a second lieutena...

Panel reviewing salaries sets benchmark statesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas panel reviewing whether to give raises to elected officials chose five states — Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee — as a benchmark for its own closely watched recommendations. Those states all pay their legislators more than Arkansas, where elected members of the House and Senate collect $15,869 a year. The governors and attorneys general of those states also make more than in Arkansas. Members o...

Hutchinson orders hiring freeze, regulation reviewLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A day after being sworn in as Arkansas' 46th governor, Republican Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday imposed a hiring freeze on most state agencies and ordered that any new regulations or rules be approved by his office. Hutchinson, who took office Tuesday, issued both as executive orders on his first full day as the state's top elected official. The ex-congressman and former federal Homeland Security administrator had said leading...

Berry, Standridge face runoffEditor's note: The vote totals in this article are according to final, unofficial results reported on the Secretary of State's website. Visit www.sos.arkansas.gov to view all results by county. Stan Berry will face Gregory B. Standridge in a runoff election Feb. 10 for the District 16 State Senate seat after the two emerged with most votes — but neither with more than 50 percent — during Tuesday's primary election. Standridge received nearly 4...

Huckabee attends Hutchinson swearing-in as Arkansas governorLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, one of three former governors in attendance at Asa Hutchinson's swearing-in Tuesday, said the state's new chief executive hit "the right tone and the right notes" in his first remarks. As the buzz grows that Huckabee will run for president a second time, he received the loudest ovation of any of the former officials introduced to the crowd outside the state Capitol. Huckabee predicted Hutchinson wo...

Republican Asa Hutchinson sworn in as Arkansas governor LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican Asa Hutchinson was sworn in as the 46th governor of Arkansas on Tuesday, finalizing the GOP's takeover of a Southern state once considered a Democratic holdout, but facing a potentially divisive debate over Medicaid expansion. Speaking to a joint session of the state House and Senate, Hutchinson called his campaign promise to cut middle-class income taxes by $100 million a year his top priority and said the propos...

Election Day underwayElection Day for the District 16 State Senate race is underway and polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at six locations throughout Pope County. Republicans Gregory B. Standridge, Thomas Akin and Stan Berry are vying for the seat, which was vacated by Michael Lamoureux when he was hired by Gov. Asa Hutchinson as chief of staff. District 16 encompasses all of Pope and Newton counties as well as parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren co...

1,300 vote early in Senate racePope County had more early voters for the District 16 Senate race than the other four counties in the voting region combined. District 16 encompasses all of Pope and Newton counties as well as parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties. The Pope County Election Commission reported 1,214 people voted during the first week of early voting. As of Friday afternoon, 112 people had voted early in the other four eligible counties. The higher turn...

Panel advises Arkansas to look at retiree health care plansLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An advisory panel is recommending that the state of Arkansas explore offering Medicare managed care plans to retired state and public school employees who are covered by the federal program for the elderly and disabled. About 18,000 retired state and school employees are enrolled in state plans that supplement traditional Medicare coverage. Under the recommendation by the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Boa...

Things to watch in 2015 Arkansas legislative sessionLITTLE ROCK (AP) — With Republicans in control of both the Arkansas Legislature and the governor's office, the political landscape will be dramatically different when lawmakers convene at the Capitol for this year's legislative session. The issues, however, will be familiar. Members of the House and Senate convene Monday for the 90th General Assembly, and a day later Republican Asa Hutchinson will be sworn in as the state's 46th governor. Legi...

New Arkansas AG vows to avoid 'political calculations'LITTLE ROCK (AP) — When Leslie Rutledge takes office next week, she'll be the first woman to serve as Arkansas' attorney general, the first Republican in the modern era and, to hear her tell it, an elected official not wondering what political job she'll pursue next. Arkansas' previous 11 attorneys general have all sought another major office: three became governor, five launched bids for governor and three ran for the U.S. Senate, one success...

Gov.-elect Hutchinson picks new state finance directorLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Incoming Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday appointed a former federal trade official who once headed Arkansas' economic development agency to be the state's next chief fiscal officer. Larry Walther takes over as head of the state Department of Finance and Administration from its longtime director, Richard Weiss, who is retiring. Walther is a former member of the board of directors for the Export-Import Bank and had previously se...

New kid on the blockLarry Brown is the new face on the Russellville City Council. Brown ran unopposed for the Ward 4, Position 1 seat on the council and was sworn in Jan. 1. "I had some people in the community approach me about running," he said. "I hope to do well. I hope to be a voice of the people." Brown, 64, was raised in Arizona until his family moved to Marianna when he was in high school. He is the oldest of nine children. Brown was a student-athlete at A...

Pope County JPs oppose power transmission lineThe Pope County Quorum Court approved Thursday its first resolution of 2015, which stated justices of the peace are opposed to the construction of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line power transmission line across Pope County. Since last year, the for-profit private company Clean Line Energy Partners LLC has proposed to construct a high voltage direct current (HVDC) across the state of Arkansas — specifically, across northern Pope County and nor...

JPs oppose power transmission lineThe Pope County Quorum Court approved Thursday its first resolution of 2015, which stated justices of the peace are opposed to the construction of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line power transmission line across Pope County. Since last year, the for-profit private company Clean Line Energy Partners LLC has proposed to construct a high voltage direct current (HVDC) across the state of Arkansas — specifically, across northern Pope County and nor...

Dover approves 3 percent raisesDOVER — The Dover City Council approved the city's 2015 budget, which included a 3 percent raise for all full-time city employees, during its regular meeting Tuesday. "We really didn't know for sure if we were going to be able to do that, but we put the figures to it and it worked out," Mayor Pat Johnson said of the raises. "As long as we can do that, I'd like to do that." Alderman Chris Loper said he was encouraged by the budget. "Generally s...

Salary panel asks to review out-of-state data LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The panel reviewing the salaries of Arkansas' elected officials wants the Legislature's researchers to compile economic data from other states before it makes any changes to the current pay structure. The Independent Citizens Commission, created by voters last November through a constitutional amendment that also extended legislative term limits, faces a Feb. 2 deadline to review current salaries. At its meeting Wednesday, p...